Imagine
by WhisperToTheWolves
Summary: "The world is but a canvas to the imagination" -Henry David Thoreau. A Collection of Short Stories/Drabbles inspired by quotes. Spoilers for the manga. Possible language warning due to future chapters. Each chapter can be considered a stand alone unless said otherwise. Sequels will always be placed next to the existing chapter. Genres at start of each chapter.
1. Chapter One- Crayola Bomb

_I randomly out the blue decided to write this. I found a small book in my room that my grandma gave to me years ago called "Imagine". It's not an actual story, just filled with quotes. As I started reading them, ideas started popping into my head. I thought "Why not make each quote a separate story/drabble in a collection? And thus, this was born. Some of the quotes can be long or short... I wrote the first thing that popped into my mind with them. Any thoughts you have about them as long as it is helpful would be appreciated... If there is something you think could be changed let me know and I'll update this chapter when I post the next chapter (sometime in the future)._

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or Imagine. They belong to their respectful owners.

Imagine.

1.) to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).

2.) To think, believe, or fancy.

" _Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness bomb. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air-explode softly- and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth-boxes of Crayolas… And people would smile and get a funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination_."

 _ **-Robert Fulghum**_

 _ **Genres: Family**_

 **Chapter One: Crayola Bombs**

They finally had managed to sneak out of the house. The London sky was dark but clear, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky. The sun had set hours ago and they only thing that guided the two youngsters was the occasional street line they passed. The street was empty with no other souls near them.

"This is idiotic."

"Shut it Noll. We both know you want to see it too."

The ten year old rolled his eyes at his older brother before moving forward. Just because he thought it would be interesting did not mean they should be sneaking out of their house without their parents permission. Even though their adopted parents were going to take them to the same place tomorrow, Eugene insisted that they had to see it all by themselves.

"We are older now," He argued. "What is the harm in going to see it by ourselves first? They won't miss us at this time of night and we will be back before they notice we are gone!"

Oliver rolled his eyes at the memory. He did not understand what was so fascinating about it anyway. Sitting outside in the cold watching things explode was not what he would call fun. Especially in the middle of winter. In London. Oliver eyed his brother and watched as he pulled his thin jacket closer before shivering.

"Why didn't I bring a thicker jacket?"

Blue eyes rolled. "This was your idea. You should have thought about it before you decided to leave."

Eugene looked over at his younger brother in his large warm jacket. He had thought ahead once again. With a sigh, he pulled his jacket even closer before proceeding. "We are almost there." His eyes lit up. "This is so exciting!" The juvenile sped up walking faster down the abandoned street. With an annoyed huff, Oliver followed suit.

 **%%%% IMAGINE %%%%%**

They had finally made it. The park had lots of people sitting around. They covered almost all the tables. The ones who couldn't find a spot had blankets to sit on in the damp and to cover them. Gene once again felt stupid for only bringing the light jacket. He began to search for a place that would offer them some protection to the cool night breeze. Most of them were taken, but he rushed over to one of the last table, yanking his brother's hand along.

"Move move! I don't want to sit in the wet grass!"

The senior twin sat on the end of the bench anxiously looking up at the clear sky. He kicked his feet anxiously as he felt his brother sit beside him.

"It's going to start soon right? I can't wait!"

"Why are you so determined to watch this without Luella and Martin?"

"Because!" He pouted "We never get to go out of the house except for school! You need to get out more! You don't hang out with any friends or anything unless I'm there. It's a perfect opportunity!"

The raven haired sighed "Gene I don't-"

He was interrupted as a loud shriek ran through the air. He glanced up at the sky as the display they were waiting for started. Blues, greens, and reds lit the cloudless sky as people began to laugh and point above them. A little girl shrilled behind them.

"Mommy those fireworks are so pretty!" The mother laughed at her child before lifting her onto her shoulders. The little girl squealed again as the colors died from their reds and blues to whites and oranges. Unconsciously, Oliver's mouth twitched before looking back up at the sky. She only looked a few years younger than he was, at most. With this thought in mind he glaced at double. Gene's face was quite serious before he noticed Noll looking at him.

"Hey Noll… Do you think one of those would hurt if it hit us?"

The child in question snorted. "No of course not. Didn't you know? Fire doesn't cause anyone pain, ever."

Gene rolled his eyes at his attitude before looking back up at the sky. "Think about it though. Those things could hurt really bad, but they can cause a lot of people joy too." He waved his arm around him at the spectators. "Doesn't that make these fireworks… A happiness bomb?"

Oliver blinked. A happiness… bomb? If it weren't for the fact that they were identical he might have doubted they were related. He turned to look up at the bombs in question as he listened to his brother talk again.

"Fireworks are explosives… But they aren't made with the purpose to hurt anyone. In fact, they are exactly the opposite." He furrowed his brows and looked down. "Wouldn't it be nice…. If the world was like that? And all its people?... What do you think our real parents…"

He trailed off and Oliver stayed silent. The fireworks continued to light and sail across the sky. This happy moment began to turn into thoughts less desired. The memories they had of their biological parents were small. A blurred woman's face and a strong man's voice. Their next earliest memories was the orphanage and all of the other children living there. Personally, he did not have any motivation to meet his real parents. To him, Luella and Martin did fine. They clothed him, fed him, fueled his urge to learn, and didn't smother him. He couldn't say anything with confidence of the people who created him. He didn't know if he would want to meet the people who left him and Gene alone in that lonely place, but he knew to this day it still crossed his twin's mind.

He looked at his reflection next to him before responding. "You can try and find them when we are older."

Gene looked up from the ground at him. "You think so? Do you think Mom and Dad would let us?"

Oliver snorted. "Weren't you the one telling me the other day that they would let us do anything we wanted if we just asked them?" Gene laughed.

"That's true! Well," He looked back up at the exploding lights. "It's too bad they don't get to see my Bombs of Happiness. I'll have to tell them when we meet them."

Oliver hummed and the conversation ended at that. The twins continued to watch the explosions until the last one flashed and died across the sky. When they were able to blink without seeing bright flashes behind their eyelids they prepared to move.

"Ok." Gene hopped off the bench pulling his brother with him. Hands still linked, Oliver didn't have the energy to say anything as they began their trek back to the home they knew where bigger jackets and warm blankets awaited. Crawling back in through the window and into their beds they drifted to sleep. The door to their room cracked open. Luella Davis watched the two of them lovingly before gently drawing the door closed. The barely audible click of the handle went unheard by the slumbering children.

"I told Martin that they would want to see that show… Some investigator he is."

She sighed and trudged quietly down the stairs. The home went silent as the young dreamers fell asleep with streaking lights and unknown futures in their heads.

 **%%%% IMAGINE %%%%%**

 _Story Word Count: 1216_

 _I'd appreciate it if you told me what you think. It's been awhile since I wrote for entertainment purposes... At least I'm not dead yet. I'll get to finishing my other stories eventually, and their is a small blooper about that on my page._

 _I can't promise I will update this regularly. This was on a whim and finals are swiftly approaching. However, I will try._

 _Till Next time,_

 _-Whisper_


	2. Chapter Two- Birds-eye View

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or Imagine. They belong to their respectful owners.

Imagine.

1.) to form a mental image of (something not actually present to the senses).

2.) To think, believe, or fancy.

" _If you have a bird's-eyes perspective on the Earth and you look down at all the conflicts that are happening all you see are two sides of a story where both people think they are right. So the solutions have come from a change of heart, from softening what is rigid within us."_

 _ **-Pema Chodron**_

 _ **Genre: Friendship, Hints of Romance**_

 **Chapter Two: Bird's-eye View**

"You are the one being stupid! These people need our help!"

Oliver ignored his assistant's outburst and focused on the tea in her hand. "Mai." He said cooly. "I am the boss here. I decide which cases we take. This case is too dangerous for SPR."

Mai could feel her face get redder. "Too dangerous?! Do you remember Urado? He was a demon and we were able to take care of him! This couldn't be much wor-"

"That was different." He cut her off. "And we did not take care of him. Only burning the building could take care of him. Our team could do nothing."

"You haven't even seen the place yet! It could be just one ghost who needs help!"

"Mai." He said impatiently "There has already been one death on the premises, possibly more. I'm not discussing this with you. We are not taking the case. That will be all."

The teenager gritted her teeth before slamming the tea down on the desk. It sloshed over the sides and dripped down onto the wood. "Of course _boss_. Whatever you say _boss_." With that, she whirled back to her desk, slamming his office door on the way out. The walls rattled with the slam and he could hear her mutter angrily outside his door.

"What a coward."

He narrowed his eyes at the shut door. A coward? He closed his eyes with irritation. She had no idea what she was talking about. Since he and Lin had come back from London a year ago she fought with him on every case he didn't take. To him it seemed as though she was even more stubborn than when she was still in highschool. Being a ghost hunter in and of itself proved that he was not a coward.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply before returning to the case file. After the interview, it was undoubtedly a haunting. There was no question about that. The man seemed relatively intelligent and didn't ask stupid didn't seem the type to be easily fooled and cared enough about this house that he didn't get a comment on his age like he normally did.

 **%%%% IMAGINE %%%%%**

 _Mai let the man at the door in. He looked to be a businessman with his nice suit and neatly combed hair. She would have asked if he had the right place if she had not seen his eyes. While the rest of his face appeared normal the terror in his eyes spoke miles. He was in the right place._

 _She gave him a gentle smile and opened the door wider. "Please come in sir. Do you have an appointment?"_

 _He gave a nervous smile. "Yes Miss. Although-" He looked at his watch "I'm a little early."_

 _She beamed up at him. "It's no trouble. Please have a seat." She gestured to the couch. "I'll grab my boss."_

 _Without another word she vanished out of the room, leaving him alone. He sat down and waited for the man he was supposed to meet. Less than thirty seconds later, a young man, no older than twenty walked in. Dressed all in black he saw down on the couch and opened the notebook he carried._

" _Saito-san correct?"_

 _He nodded. "Are you Shibuya-san?"_

 _Blue eyes met his. "I am. Tell me about these incidents you emailed about."_

 _Needing no more persuading he started. "About six months ago I inherited a house that my father owned. It had been abandoned for almost forty years. Structurally there was nothing wrong with the house. Its appearance could be sharpened by a few coats of paint but nothing too major." He shifted in his seat as Mai walked into the room and placed tea on the small table in front of him. He gave her a grateful smile before continuing. "My wife and I considered this a great deal, especially since it was payed off, so we decided that we would move in a few weeks after that. Within a week of moving in, we started redoing the old paint and cleaning out the garden. It wasn't long after that that things began to happen."_

 _He took a sip of his tea before continuing. Even with the tea, he couldn't keep his voice from cracking. "Just small things at first. My wife would ask me if I had moved her garden supplies, because she couldn't find them. We would walk back into rooms we had freshly painted to see hand prints of all sizes on all parts of the wall. Mostly children." He hesitated. "There are no neighbors for miles and we don't have any children. We ignored the hand prints and repainted the walls."_

 _His eyes pleaded and Oliver saw the familiar look of mourning cross his eyes. "My wife was found dead at the foot of the mountain the next morning."_

 _The Brit's ears picked up his youngest assistant's gasp from behind him. "How do you know that your wife was not killed by another person?"_

 _The man smiled weakly. "While that is a possibility, I'm inclined to believe it wasn't. The police told me that she was killed a little after midnight. However I spoke with her the same day that she died, hours_ after _midnight." He swallowed slowly._

 _Interesting._

" _That doesn't prove it was a ghost though. Do you have anything else?" Behind him Mai hissed at him. "Naru!"_

 _The man raised his hand at her. "No it's ok. I understand his need to ask." Turning back to the scientist he said "I don't have anything that can prove that ghosts killed her, but that night when I got back to my house, I went down to the basement to place some boxes in there that I would leave unpacked till a later time. The door is heavily locked, and the only key I kept on me at all times. Entering the room, the floor was covered in dust Shibuya-san, but new wet blood dripped down the walls."_

 _After this, he pulled out his phone and handed it to the younger. Oliver looked at the screen._

 _She was not the first? A curious detail he filed for later._

 _He handed back the phone with the threatening message. "Have you found anything else to indicate the other victims that are written in that message?"_

 _Saito-san shook his head. "No, I moved to live with my parents to take care of Akane's funeral. I haven't been back since." His voice was quiet, and with it the rest of the room's volume fell as well._

 _The raven haired rose from the couch. "I'll review the notes of your case and email you on my decision." Saito-san blinked as he watched the man leave the room. Seconds later he heard a door softly shut._

" _I'm sorry about him" He looked at the small girl in front of him. "Excuse my language but he's a bit of an ass. Even if he's a smart one."_

 _He let out a cough and rose from the couch. "It is quite alright." Placing his empty teacup on the table, he headed for the door. "Thank you for your time."_

 _From his office, Naru could hear his assistant parting with the man. "Have a good day sir."_

 _He stared at the wall thinking over the man's words._

 **%%%% IMAGINE %%%%%**

He was pulled from the memory when a Chinese man leaned in from the doorway. "Take the case Naru." He said to him, unblinking. "It sounds like a legitimate case. If we take the necessary precautions we will be fine."

Oliver's lips narrowed. "I didn't realize Father promoted you to be the boss, Lin."

Unphased, Lin didn't respond to the jab. "I'm going out to lunch." He started to close the door, before changing his mind and opening it back up. "But I'm sure your _father_ would be very interested to see why you won't take this case when Madoka files it as canceled at the main office." With that he left. The main door opened and closed seconds later.

Oliver sighed. It was a valid point. All cases, whether they were taken or not, were filed into different categories back in London. Even cases not taken could be used as references down the line. Although he ran SPR, Madoka was the translator and filer for the branch in Japan. He looked out the window of his office as he saw Lin get in the company car and drive away. While hei knew he wasn't cowardly, perhaps he was taking it more serious than it seemed. They had dealt with Urado, in the backward sort of way, and had they stayed in groups like they should have, no one would have gotten hurt. He glanced down at the case file next to his now cold tea. It would be an interesting case to solve, if it a little risky. But then again, ghost hunting was a dangerous business. Had this case been found in London he would have taken it in a heartbeat. He scowled lightly at the case file before reopening it. Maybe a second look would be beneficial.

 **%%%% IMAGINE %%%%%**

He left his office one hour later, case file in hand. Walking over to his assistant's desk he braced himself for a sharp comment or two. Instead he found her fast asleep with a blanket loosely thrown over her shoulders. The office blanket. How did she know where they kept that? It was only ever pulled out when he or Lin stayed too late and didn't go to their apartment.

Had Lin…?

Nonetheless, he walked to the desk and placed the directory on the corner. Seeing a note pad, he scribbled words on it, set it on top of the case, and returned to his office. He would leave his assistant to find it when she woke up. Much easier than waking her up when she was still angry with him. Luella would have sighed at the way he avoided the situation.

Mai cracked her eyes open as she heard her boss's door shut. She rubbed her eyes before sitting up in her rolling chair, vaguely noting the blanket that hadn't been there when she fell asleep. Then she noticed not two inches from where her head had been, a very familiar black folder laid. Reaching for it and the parchment on top she read the note written in graceful English.

' _More news has come to my attention on the case. Contact the others. Tell them to be here by 10 on Thursday. It's a three hour drive. Contact Madoka to watch over the office while we are out.'_

Mai blinked. What?

She read the note again. They were taking the case? She took the folder in her hands before opening it, knowing she would be scolded if caught and looked through Naru's personal notes of the case. He just wanted it filed for reference not for her to snoop inside.

However, inside the black portfolio sections of the interview and other papers were highlighted. At certain parts, notes were attached to them. One was of the trees surrounding the area around the house with a dash and the name Matzusaki attached. She flipped through the rest of the thin file finding similar annotations along the way. One for Bou-san one for John even one for Yasu and… her. She took a closer look at that one.

A printed email, most likely from the client had asked for a picture of the deceased Akane for record. She looked to be middle age, and her long light brown hair showed in the colored photo.

' _Keep Mai away from the painted rooms. Similar appearance to previous victim.'_

Was Naru… worried? Was this why he didn't want to agree to the case? She flushed lightly. He wasn't being a coward, just worrying over the different members of their rag-tag group. She felt embarrassed for calling him as such. Placing the various notes and picture she found back into the folder, she closed it and placed it into her filling cabinet to be sorted.

How could she call him a coward? Guilt started to set in. He was smart, and always had a reason for anything that he did. He would never decline a case simply because he 'didn't feel like it'. Especially since she knew he was bored with the lack of cases these past few months.

Standing up from her desk, she headed to the small kitchenette to make her boss his favorite tea. It was the least she could do for not thinking of things from his perspective.

 **%%%% IMAGINE %%%%%**

 _Story word count: 2107_

 _Thanks for reading. Please let know what you think or if there are any errors._

 _-Whisper_


End file.
